B-
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Theme: Age Difference, Fated Mates, Vampire
Archetype: Fae, Spy/Assassin
Sweet Ruin is the sixteenth book (wowzers) in Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. It’s probably the longest series I’ve stuck with and it’s a paranormal romance to boot. Each book operates in the one couple per book system, though I would not recommend reading this without reading the previous books, which is really always the crux of paranormal romance series. It’s hard for new readers to jump right in when they have to play catch up.
I also want to apologize for the word vomit that is about to occur on this review.
I subscribed to Cole’s newsletter because I adore her as an author, even if she has a few misses for me. The jury is still out for me on her Game Makers series as I loved the crazysauce of the first book, but didn’t really enjoy the second one. Earlier this year, she announced that she had two choices regarding the IAD series: either start pairing off the main players or lengthen the series to incorporate more characters. She chose the later and I’m sure you can imagine my hesitation.
I’m sure several of us have been burned before by authors who just keep writing and writing a series, even though it should have ended a handful of books ago. Cole also announced that the characters would be on the opposite side of the characters we’ve come to know and love. Can I really root for the bad guys finding love if I’m against what they’re trying to do?
Jo is the sister of Thaddeus, who we met several books ago. He’s still a teen and was captured by The Order and experimented on. Jo was separated from her brother at a young age following a very traumatic death, which sped up her transition (trigger warning for children in peril). For over half the book, Jo isn’t sure what sort of being she is, though she is a bit of a badass with her abilities. She also can’t read since her human life ended at the age of eleven.
Jo is living a very solitary life. She has no friends since there was no one to show her the supernatural ropes. It isn’t until she sees her brother, Thad, with Nix (a Valkyrie soothsayer who is attempting to reach goddesshood) that she finds a purpose in life. However, she thinks Thad is being held prisoner by Nix, which isn’t the case.
Enter Rune, a dark fey/demonic assassin and archer who has been dispatched by Orion, the leader of the Morior, to assassinate Nix. And there we have the common link between Rune and Jo. The Morior, so far, have been painted as the antagonists and heralds of the Ascension – a great war between supernatural races that serves as a system of checks and balances. However, after finishing the book and getting to know the other characters that make up the Morior, I’m still just as confused about them as I when I started the book. I didn’t get the impression that they were all that bad. Their motives weren’t really revealed.
So Rune and Jo team together to take out Nix for their own personal reasons, which obviously puts them in close contact with one another. The IAD series operates with the “fated mates” trope and different races have different ways of activating their mate spidey senses. For vamps, their hearts start beating. For demons (and readers/fans of the series know I’m not joking) they get to ejaculate. There’s a demonic seal on their powerful wang that breaks when they orgasm with their mate.
In most of the IAD books, it’s usually the heroes chasing down the heroines for matehood. But in this case, it was the other way around. Jo is certain that Rune is her mate though he’s not so sure. He’s lived for a very, very long time and has had a really shitty lot in life. I mean, they both have. But whereas Jo is technically younger and more positive about finding a mate, Rune is resistant. Living so long without one, he doesn’t think one exists for him. There are also the insecurities he has with his mate accepting his traumatic past (trigger warning for sexual abuse).
Since Jo and Rune’s past play a huge part in their characterization, there are a lot of flashbacks — which I tend to hate as a reader. So if you’re like me, just be forewarned. But they also help to show that these are two very lonely people. Jo was thrown into this supernatural world without any sort of guiding hand. She’s just winging it. So seeing her interact with others like her is really sweet, and you can tell how excited she is just to make acquaintances, even if she’s still learning.
Jo is also young compared to the hero, only twenty-five compared to Rune’s several millennia. Normally, I’m wary of any person in their twenties making declarations of love and being together forever, but Jo’s experiences as a child add some maturity to her experiences. I get why she didn’t want to be alone anymore, and why she wanted a companion. She also has what my mother would call “a sassmouth,” which I fucking loved.
During the first scene where Rune introduces himself, he mentions that he’s called Rune the Insatiable:
He leaned down to rasp at her lovely ear. “Maybe you’ll be the one to sate me at last.” If it hadn’t happened in millennia, he didn’t expect it to now, but tarts ate that line up. He dangled the prospect because Lore females liked challenges.
This one pressed her hot palms to his chest, digging in her black nails. “You wanna know a truth?” She held his gaze. Her eyes were mesmerizing, her hazel irises flecked with brilliant blue and amber.
Finally they were getting somewhere! “I do.”
In a breathy whisper, she said, “Maybe I wouldn’t give a good god damn if you were sated or not.”
The one thing that bugged me the most, though, is the utter confusion I felt as a reader. The book ends rather abruptly and Jo is still caught between her brother’s alliance to those we see as “the good guys” and Rune’s place as one of the Morior. I’m also still trying to work out Jo’s origins. We find out what she is and where she comes from, but I’m still fuzzy on the logistics of it all. Though this is the second longest book so far in the series, it could have done with more pages for explanation, or some cutting of the filler action to allow for a more thorough reveal of Jo’s past. I’d definitely recommend having a friend read it too, so you can try and make sense of it all. Seriously, if it weren’t for my friend Rachel and our frantic Facebook messages, I don’t know what I would have done.
If Cole were to put together some kind of compendium, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. The series around a decade old and unless you want to reread them all before every book, it’s so tough to keep characters and backstories straight. But that being said, sticking with a series for so long gives me such a feeling of accomplishment, and you really get to know what you like and don’t like about an author and his or her books.
For example, in the IAD series, I figured out that I prefer the romances in the series that are between two supernatural characters of equal power, rather than (usually) an older male and a fledgling female just learning the basics of her abilities. However, I’d kill to see that reversed, with a powerful female and a hero who is coming to terms with who and what he is.
I’ve also realized that I love how Cole doesn’t make sex the necessary payoff. Most times, the characters are getting down in the bedroom because they have some lust and tension they need to work out. It’s the intimacy that they have to work toward, not necessarily the sex.
Despite my confusion with some of the rather important details of the book, Cole has introduced some really interesting and new characters that I’ll be looking forward to. I’m already anxious to see who the next pairing will be. We have Munro (a lycan and pack leader) stuck in a cell with his mate who is severely injured. His choices are to try and turn her or just let her die. I’m hoping I’m remembering that correctly.
There’s Furie still hanging out in the bottom of the ocean, doomed to drown over and over again, and, if I remember, her mate is the vampire Nikolai Kristoff! Oops!
In this book, we were also introduced to Sian, the soon-to-be ruler of Hell, who seems to have a past attachment to a fey woman. There’s also Desh, a storm demon who is so stupidly adorable that I will riot in the streets if he doesn’t get his own book.
Orion is the leader of the Morior and I have no clue what the hell his deal is, but he’s similar to Nix in that they’re both shaping others’ fates. Rachel and I both think it would be hilarious if they were mated, considering the irony of them being able to see the future for others but not themselves.
I could seriously talk about this for hours, which is a testament to Cole’s world building. And while I had my hesitation about Sweet Ruin and while it didn’t give as much of a satisfying ending as Dark Skye did, I’m still just as anxious to see where she takes us next.
Anyone care to start a betting pool on the next couple?
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I tried this series before, and I had trouble with it. I tried reading the first book, and I remember being bothered that the hero was so forceful with the heroine. He basically tells her that what she wants doesn’t matter, because he “knows” they’re meant to be, and he refuses to accept anything else. There’s a lot of forceful touching and coercing. I get the concept of somebody so desperate to keep the person they’re meant to be with, especially if it’s “fated” and you’ve gone centuries literally feeling nothing, but I feel like I was supposed to take the heroines protests as coy and token and her consent as an inevitable no matter what she may be feeling at the time. I might have felt differently had the hero not refused to even entertain her complaints and protests and straight-up abducted her. (There was also some scene I vaguely remember cringing at in a hotel where he says he’s not going to touch her until she begs him to, and winds up doing SOME sort of weird coercion regardless, and consent under pressure isn’t actually consent anyway.)
I dunno, maybe I’m overthinking this? I get that part of the appeal of this series is going to be the demanding alpha heroes, and I do like the idea of them learning that they need more emotional and mental intimacy instead of focusing purely on the physical, but Warlord Wants Forever just seemed to be hitting all my nope buttons and didn’t appear to be heading towards that particular destination. Did I give up too soon? I do value Amanda’s opinion, so maybe I’ll give it another try. I did like the heroine a lot. And it is a free download from the library after all!
@Leah: There are some definite hits and misses in the series, and the books mostly operate on the heroes finding their “mates” and hoping to convince them they need to be together, since usually the males are the one that have the mate spidey senses. A lot of them are alphas, so there’s that caveman-esque aspect to many of them. Unfortunately, with a series like this, you can’t really pick and choose the books you want to read. You could probably get away with reading out of order in the first few books, but definitely not the later ones.
My second favorite is Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night, which is book four I believe. The heroine is a witch and the hero is a lycan, and their races are natural adversaries. The hero senses the heroine as his mate, but he’s already had his mate and she died. So he thinks she’s putting some sort of spell on him and he’s pissed about it. I’d also say the next book after that one, Dark Deeds at Night’s Edge, has a more palatable hero as well.
I would say give either of those two a try since they’re before the big overarching plot really kicks into gear. And if it’s not for you, I won’t think any less of you! 🙂
While I love Cole and IAD, I refuse to pay fourteen bucks for an ebook. There are very few things I’ll cough up that kind of money for (excepting the last Pratchett & the next Bujold). So thank you, library hold system. Thank you neighborhood UBS. Thank you, occasional sale prices.
Also, just curious, but what is the longest IAD novel?
@PamG: I want to say it’s Lothaire, but I’m not positive. I also thought Dark Skye was longer than this one, but Cole mentioned this one was the second longest and I’m inclined to go with what she says.
Also, you aren’t the first to complain about the ebook price. A few of my friends felt the same way. Unfortunately, Cole falls into that category of authors who are rarely discounted for ebooks.
Like I said before, even her mediocre books are better than some people’s (I’m looking at you advertiser at the top of the page)best. She scrupulously maintains the world she started 16 years ago. There’s no even more powerful being coming in at the last minute to snap their fingers and create the perfect HEA. She doesn’t set up rules for characters or species and then break them. And she turned the loathsome Lothaire into a romance hero, so I’ll be interested in seeing what she does with more of the “evil” side of the ascension.
And damn, Blood Kiss has more Butch in it? Must. Stop. Myself. Remember. The King. Okay, I think I’m over it.
All I want is for Nix to get a book! I have stuck with Kresley Cole for so long and while I am tentatively excited for the new characters, I just want a Nix book. It doesn’t even need to be romance at this point.
Kresley has been my crack for years. This is the only series where I’ve actually REREAD most of the books. Lothaire, followed by MacRieve made me go clean, but then I was sucked right back in with Dark Skye.
If you’re looing for a scenario where the heroine is wise, powerful and kickass while the hero is young and fledgling struggling to find his immortal self, I suggest any of the books featuring the vampire brothers, Warlord Wants Forever, No Rest for Wicked, Untouchable, or even Dark Needs at Nigth’s Edge. (My first IAD read)
Then there’s also Dreams of Dark Warrior–the hero is so just so man-stupid . . .
” She also can’t read since her human life ended at the age of eleven.”
What? Isn’t that very late to be learning to read? I don’t know the series and there may be an in series justification or that her human life was such a mess she didn’t get any schooling, but otherwise I would find this improbable
@Jazzlet: In the context of the story, it makes sense. Jo and Thad’s home world was destroyed when they were young and they woke up on Earth. Jo barely has any memories of where she came from or how she arrived with Thad. As kids, they alternated between being homeless children or foster kids (for a very short time).
Ta Amanda, that would have bugged me no end!
@Jazzlet: Haha! It didn’t really bother me so much. The fact that she can’t read does come up in her dealings with Rune, but I bought into it. I assumed Jo never had any traditional schooling as a child. Her brother though was taken in by a librarian, went to school, and had a traditional upbringing following Jo’s “death.” Jo is a very lonely character and spends most of her life that way, trying to figure things out without any outside help.
@Leah
Please don’t give up on the series on account of “The Warlord Wants Forever”. I adore Kresley Cole but that book… I legitimately HATE that book, to the point that I feel rage whenever I see Nikolai cameo-ing in other books. Quite frankly, he’s an entitled asshole and a rapist – and, I would argue, not representative of what you’re in for in the other books. I am so, so glad I accidentally started the series in the wrong order; if I’d read that novella first I’d never have given it another chance.
While all of Cole’s heroes are “alpha” in one way or another, she actually turns conventions on their head quite often. Her heroes are often virgins, or rape victims, or have other bits of backstory that distinguish them from your average alphahole and her heroines are kickass.
The best introduction to the series are, ironically enough, about Nikolai’s brothers who are not nearly as much of a douchebag as he is. Sebastian’s book is good as an introduction to the setting (“No Rest for the Wicked”, IAD #3) but purely for demonstrating Cole’s unique voice and the emotions her books can carry, Conrad’s story is even better (“Dark Needs At Night’s Edge”, IAD #5). Cadeon’s story is also a good standalone with a likable hero/heroine pairing (“Dark Desires After Dusk”, IAD #6) if you really want to avoid all mention of Nikolai =) Books #2 and #4 are good in their own way, but feature some of the more alphahole-ier heroes, so if you want a palate cleanser, don’t start with them. Beyond that, the stories start intertwining too much to make good standalones/starting points.
I hope you’ll give the series another chance; it really is delightful!
I read Sweet Ruin the day it came out (stayed up late) and I thought it was definitely one of her stronger recent books. I’m a little disappointed that the Morior’s lone female member was such a shallow caricature when all the male members screamed ‘look at me, I’m a future love interest!’, but beside that, I loved the ride from start to finish. I liked that, for once, it was the heroine chasing the hero, and Rune’s attitude toward relationships and sex in general was fascinating (and heartbreaking). Their HEA is well-deserved.
…and now I already can’t wait for the next one!
My gateway to IAD was Lothaire which is pretty advanced in the series. There were a lot of points that were completely incomprehensible, but the characters just grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Lothaire was such a bastid, but he made me laugh my ass off. Ellie, while physically weak and vulnerable, was such a strong minded character that she was an excellent foil for the Enemy of Old.
I think what Cole does so well in this series is balance her protagonists very precisely. For me, balance is what what makes a romance work. The alpholier-than-thou males seem to get the juiciest comeuppances. The weaker heroines find their own depth of heroism. The only book in the series that really put me off was Shadow’s Claim and on reflection, I think the reason is that the heroine never did seem to find her own strength sufficiently to balance her weaknesses.
But I digress. . . I guess my point is that starting in mid-series can work despite the complexity of world building and plot threads. I’ve since re-read the entire series in order at least once and Lothaire multiple times, and it’s all good. But then my intro to the Lymond Saga was The Ringed Castle (Book 5 of 6), so maybe I’m weird that way.
@Amanda, didn’t KC mention that a character was being introduced in this book that would play a really big role in Nix’s life? Maybe it is Orion after all!
@Mary Star: Eeeeee! Please let this be true!
Hahaha we are sisters in squee, @Amanda!! I’m pretty sure I read it in her newsletter awhile back because it was so significant. I thought it would be Lothaire once upon a time, but since his book there was no clue. I haven’t read SR yet to weigh in on potentials. She’s really an interesting character and I think she’d need a guy who has his own machinations and finger in the pie (*ahem*, so to speak 🙂 the way she does. I feel like he needs a fair amount of political power or string-pulling ability. What do you think?
@Mary Star: I completely agree. Nix is so powerful that her mate can’t really be a “fledgling” of a race. She needs someone who is her equal as well. My friend Rachel and I were also curious about Nix as a character. She’s a bit of a space cadet because her abilities are clearly driving her mad, so I’m worried about not being able to deal with her inner monologues whenever she becomes the main character of her own book.
If you want more Nix, she definitely plays a HUGE role in Sweet Ruin.
@Amanda,I almost feel like he needs to be sort of “over” the idea of being mated because he has lived so much life and his energies are so tied into maneuvering. Sort of the way Nix is so twisty in her orchestrations that her emotional/personal life are short shrifted. She has carried the weight of so much knowledge and responsibility for so long that it’d probably be a relief (and scary) to share some with a man strong enough to have his shit together and really help her.
@Mary Star: Well if I wasn’t sold before, I am now. If Orion isn’t her mate, I’m going to be very upset. In the book, they never reveal quite what he is, only that he can crush planets because he can. So he’s definitely emotionally removed and very powerful.
@Amanda O.O
Nix might have to fight me for him! I loves me some planet-crushin’ alphamangod!!
@PamG
I completely agree with you about balance and particularly your assessment of Shadow’s Claim, which I also consider one of her weaker books. It’s funny that I hate Nikolai so much but actually really like Lachlain, despite their initial behaviour being somewhat alike. When I think about why, it’s because Nikolai’s story lacks balance – he’s missing the comeuppance for his behaviour. One chapter of groveling was not nearly enough.
In contrast, Lachlain has a pretty good excuse for being that psychotic in the first place and still has to spend half the book making ammends. Also, Emma’s growth in response is amazing to watch. Emma is one of my favorite heroines precisely because she starts so low and ends up so high. She breaks the mold in which heroines I adore – I usually favor the old, experienced heroines like Kaderin, Regin and Lanthe.
I just wanted to say thank you to Amanda and Janeth! 🙂 On Janeth’s recommendation, I picked up Dark Needs At Night’s Edge from the library, which I am enjoying a LOT more. A little confusing since it’s the fifth book, but I think it helps that the heroine is supposed to be this outsider to the world too, so she sort of acts as my proxy in going “BWUH??” and finding things out.
I love Kresley Cole and especially this series. Wouldn’t it be great if Sarah invited Kresley on a podcast and grill her until she tells us who Nix ends up with.
@Leah I hope you enjoy it, it’s my favorite and one of my re-reads in the series (kiss of a demon king is the other). I agree with you and other commenters that Shadow’s Claim was not her best work. But please do consider reading the earlier books. One of the best things about the series is the little easter egg scenes which serve as little teasers or spoilers for subsequent books. I have been disappointed in the series since Lothaire onward, however this new book is great so far and I’m excited in that the series for now has taken turn for the better.
When this book got posted on the site a few weeks ago, I was so excited and went to pre order it. Then I saw the price and immediately left Amazon’s page and got myself on the wait list for a library copy. I own the kindle edition for every book in this series, but refuse to pay 14,99 for a kindle book. I’ll read it when my turn comes up and then I may buy it when it goes on sale. Big shout out to the local library for pitching in when publishers get all the crazy with the pricing.
I’ve fallen out a bit out of love with this series. There seem to be more and more young, thought they were human heroines paired with the super old, powerful heroes. I’m wary of this one for the same reasons plus the note about the hereos trumatic past. MacRieve was so heavy handed with the opening childhood trauma that I dropped it after a couple of chapters. I just couldn’t get past his backstory.
Picked up Dark Skye because I really need an audiobook and thought it was really good but yeesh more new characters? Call me when they get Furie out of the ocean.
I think furies mate is kristoff not Nikolai
Hi,
Furie’s mate is not mentioned from what I read. Nikolai is Myst the Coveted’s mate.
Isn’t Furie’s mate Kristoff? Nikolai is already mated to myst?
Oops – that is a lot of characters. Fixed!
@amanda I think Orion is fated for Nix she calls herself the Goddess of the Accension and he’s like the king of the apocalypse it would make sense. I liked this one didn’t love Rune never captured me the way some of her characters in the past have (Macrieve clan I’m looking at you). I thought that Jo was an amazing heroine I loved her comics obsession…but I didn’t like this book it felt like she took overlays from her other books at points… That being said can we please get Dalli a mate she’s awesome
@Mary that would be an awesome book.I had thought in my mind that she would work out with the great Ash (see: Sherrilyn Kenyon, ACHERON or a couple of his DH homies or God’s.) It would be nice for her to have a really good friend in this for Nix. It would help develop a relationship but thru other ones in a limited set of other books IAD’s history would be made regardi creating an actual PNR “world” and the most rocking book about heroine ever made.
I think the best thing about series books are the intertwining and then a look at some one else in the book who vaguely remember from a another book but whose stand alone is riveting like Cadeon and Holly (I think #3, IAD.) I know Cole is real tight with Showalter and Kenyon and McALister have been doing there thing as well (ALL YOU LADIES ROCK!!!.) That collab right there with some awesome authors would absolutely make me swoon. Anybody feeling me on this!!!!
I just found this series and I LOVE it but this book felt like it ended super abruptly. With that said I love the showdown at Val Hall and really want to read it from the Verats point of view. When reading about the Fury there I got hopeful that it would be Furie finally out from the ocean, but it could also be her sister… come on book about Furie and Kristoff, I need answers!